Whether it’s through “Genius Hour,” pre-class “chit chats” or her patented “Science Notebooks,” Sheila Kohl manages to find her way into her students’ heads.

The goal, Kohl says, is not to motivate the students to learn but to create an environment where they motivate themselves.

Kohl, a sixth-grade teacher at West De Pere Middle School, uses daily chit-chat sessions to get the students to work their way through the emotional challenges of being sixth-graders. She uses play-acting sessions to get them get over their fears of not fitting in. She encourages them to explore their inner intellectual passions through a weekly hour spent on a self-chosen, self-paced personal research project in the weekly Genius Hour. The students keep notebooks in science class that Kohl checks weekly to make sure students are “getting it.”

She’s a proponent of teaching through real-time, real-life projects, whether it’s having the kids watch real-time earthquakes on an interactive website or getting them to try to nominate a pioneer in space flight to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Hall of Fame.

For her work in the classroom, Kohl has received a 2014 Golden Apple Award through the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s Partners in Education Program.

How did you decide to become a teacher?

As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay I wasn’t sure what my major should be. My mom kept pushing me towards education, but I wanted nothing to do with it; I had seen how hard my teachers worked! But then I started teaching swim lessons and saw the kids in my classes get better at this skill that could potentially save their lives. They gained confidence and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them. I knew then that education was my major. UW-Green Bay professors like Dr. Joan Thron and Dr. Francine Tompkins helped show me it was the right choice.

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What do you like best about teaching?

I love, love, love getting to know students and their families. Content and life skills are important but without good relationships it is difficult to tap into students’ interests and needs; including family members is a major piece of the puzzle. Middle school is a time of transition, and it is important to show students we all have their best interests at heart. This includes having a sense of humor; our favorite part of the day is when we can get a good laugh in, which happens quite often!

What are the challenges of your job?

The biggest challenge to being a middle school teacher is giving every student the one-on-one time he or she deserves with us teachers. So, we make sure to say “hello” to students as they come in the door, have conversations in the hallway, or walk around the room and initiate talk in order to make a daily connection with each person. Things like Google Apps for Education, wikis, blogs, Twitter, and other tech tools give us more ways to communicate with students and their families. I find myself continually working on ways make some sort of connection with all students during the course of a day.

Is there a specific student or situation that stands out in your mind as a highlight of your career experience?

It is impossible to select one student that stands out, because everyone has had his or her own unique personality that taught me something about being human.

There have been many wonderful situations with colleagues and students, but two recent situations stand out in my mind. Erin Nachreiner, an eighth-grader, has overcome a very serious health issue in the past year, and Maria Tomashek, another eighth-grader, recently won the Green Bay Regional Spelling Bee for the second year in a row. Both situations are inspirational because of the hard work and determination the girls have put forth to reach their goals while still keeping positive attitudes.

Tell us something about yourself people would be surprised to learn.

I have twice traveled to Washington, D.C., to discuss education issues with Wisconsin’s members of Congress.